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Cuban history

...Emigration from Cuba to the United States has been a major issue since 1980, when some 125,000 Cubans crossed the Florida Straits to the United States during what became known as the “
Mariel boatlift” (so named because many of the boats departed from Mariel, a small port west of Havana). In 1987 the two countries signed an agreement allowing 20,000 Cubans to emigrate...

role of Castro

...renew diplomatic relations with the United States, provided that it end its trade embargo against Cuba. In 1980 Castro released a flood of immigrants to the United States when he opened the port of Mariel for five months. The 125,000 immigrants, including some criminals, strained the capacity of U.S. immigration and resettlement facilities.